The victim of an assault on a private bus in Delhi is slowly getting better. But she’s still battling for her life, doctors who are treating her said in a press conference on Thursday.

The young woman was admitted at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital with serious injuries on Monday morning, after she was allegedly beaten up and raped by several men in a moving bus. Her condition is still critical, but doctors are hopeful she’s on her way to recovery.

“She is alert, conscious and, really, I would say she is a brave girl,” said B.D. Athani, one of the doctors, who described her condition as “stable.”

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She remains in intensive care but her vital parameters are normal, he said. The woman, whose name has not be released, is able to communicate but not to speak, since she is on a ventilator. She underwent two abdominal surgeries so far: one when she was first admitted and another Wednesday.

But she’s not out of danger yet. There is evidence of gangrene and doctors said there is “an impending danger of infection.” That is their biggest worry.

This latest, horrific crime sparked widespread outrage in India, with politicians promising to take steps to make public spaces safer for women. The focus has been on law enforcement, with the home ministry vowing to roll out more police cars on patrol in Delhi and to encourage courts to fast-track this particular case.

Four men have been arrested in relation to the attack on the woman.

Some have argued that punishments for those found guilty of rape should be tougher, with some politicians and student activists calling for the death penalty. Others disagree, saying that that tougher punishment is not the answer, and that what needs to change is the fundamental attitude to women in the country. A strong patriarchal culture, they say, prevents women from being treated as equals.

With 572 cases recorded last year, Delhi is the city with the highest incidence of rape in India.

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